Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United – Match Reports and Highlights

The Guardian, Daniel Taylor: “It will probably register as the most satisfying result of Rafael Benítez’s short and difficult time in office and not just because it was possibly the first time he was spared the condemnation of Chelsea’s supporters. His team can look forward to an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City and, after all the personal indignities Benítez has suffered, he will probably not care too much that it was such a scruffy game to get them to Wembley.”

The Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter: “Chelsea’s love affair with the FA Cup continues. This was a huge victory for the holders, a result that lends lustre to a strange season, a win rooted in the brilliance of Demba Ba at connecting with a dropping ball. Fittingly, Ba’s goal was watched by the 88-year-old Roy Bentley, the legendary Chelsea forward who himself scored a spectacular goal to knock Manchester United out of the Cup at the same quarter-final stage back in 1950. United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, had warned his players of Ba’s threat, reminding them of the hooked finish that the Senegalese striker scored against them at St James’ Park on Jan 4, 2012. Rio Ferdinand was caught out that day by Ba’s movement and was second best again.”

The Independent, Sam Wallace: “At the final whistle, Benitez tugged his jacket around him, shook Sir Alex Ferguson’s hand for the second time that afternoon and left Stamford Bridge to its own celebrations. After losing to Southampton on Saturday, being allowed to slip away was far preferable to the consequences of another defeat. In recent years, Chelsea have, in the modern parlance, owned the FA Cup, so a place in the semi-finals against Manchester City on 14 April is the very least the support expect.”

The Official Chelsea FC Website: “The Blues march into the semi-finals of the FA Cup and a Wembley date with Manchester City as Demba Ba scored the only goal of the game to overcome Manchester United.”